Theory
It's the final day of the week. On Monday even counting the 16th grid felt foreign; today you finish a swing-16 bounce groove that weaves root, 5th, b7, and ghost together. The 16th grid, the room, and the boom-chka are all in your hands now. All that's left is to tie them into one groove and capture it as sound.
Today's piece is the swing-16 bounce groove. Wedge the 5th B and b7 D between open E roots, and fill the empty cells with ghosts. The root goes "boom," the 5th and b7 lay on color, the ghosts fill the gaps, and one bar rolls sticky. Every feel you learned this week is packed into this one bar.
The new material is the b7. E's b7, D (3rd string, 5th fret), adds that slightly tense, dominant color. The trick is still swing-16 — delay the back cell of each beat a touch and the bounce comes even stickier than yesterday. The ease of laying the back slot down without rushing is the whole groove.
Turn one bar over without a wobble at BPM 75. The recording just needs to be an honest take, not a perfect one. Play Monday's 16th grid beside today's bounce groove, and a week's growth rings out clearly. That sound is Week 6's diploma. The fingering is the same on 4- or 5-string.
See it
Today's visual is the week's one finished piece. Lock the swing-16 bounce groove on 4- and 5-string. The 16th grid, room, and ghost you learned this week are all inside this one bar.
One bar that weaves root, 5th, b7, and ghost in swing-16. A sticky swing-16 bounce comes together.
▶ BPM 75, swing-16 (back sixteenth a touch late). Fill between the E roots with the 5th B, b7 D, and ghosts for stickiness. Being swing-16, it feels like it settles back off the grid. On a 5-string use the low B option.
▶ 5-string. Same notes and spots as the 4-string. Cover the low B with the thumb.
Today's practice
0–10 min · Warm-up Lightly review this week's 16th grid and boom-chka at BPM 65 to loosen up. Check the dry "chka" comes out.
10–20 min · Brain training Retrace very slowly whether the root, 5th, b7, and ghost each land in place. Check that notes and ghosts sit evenly across the four 16th cells.
20–40 min · Real play (the Week 6 piece) Repeat the swing-16 bounce groove at BPM 75. The goal is to keep turning one bar over without a wobble. Learn it on the 4-string, then confirm on the 5-string.
40–50 min · Record (the graduation take) Record the swing-16 bounce groove. Listen with Monday's 16th grid side by side, and keep this week's finish.
Done when: you can weave root, 5th, b7, and ghost into a sticky swing-16 bounce groove at BPM 75, and keep a recording on both 4- and 5-string. (Week 6 complete!)
- Pulling the back cell early. Swing-16 lives on delaying the back cell. Pulling forward rushes it. Lay it slightly back.
- The b7 sticking out. The b7 is a drop of color. As big as the root, it makes the groove heavy.
- Rushing the tempo. A wobbly BPM 75 is no use. Even and sticky first, slow if needed.
- Neglecting low B (5-string). Cover the unused low B with the thumb through the whole bar.